


and what of the miracle that happened here?

by afrocurl



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Hanukkah, M/M, Mansion Fic, Old Dudes in Love, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 00:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There have been so many Hanukkahs between their first shared one and now, but that didn't mean that the holiday couldn't (and wouldn't) be special in Charles' mind.</p>
<p>There were just a few new rules and the colliding of one holiday with another.</p>
<p>(A sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/586508/chapters/1054158">and what once was desecrated shall be made holy again</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	and what of the miracle that happened here?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ninemoons42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninemoons42/gifts).



Charles fretted - as was his wont - as he looked at the calendar. “How is it so early this year?” he asked, knowing that his study was - currently - blissfully empty of any students and staff at the school. By rights his study should be free from both sets, but habits were hard to break and retirement wasn’t strictly retirement so much as it was time to make up for lost years. 

He and Erik had moved out of the mansion and into a small cottage that sat on the edge of the school’s wide properly. They had room enough for the two of them to read, discuss, and live as two men who had spent more time apart than they had ever spent together. 

However, on weekends Charles found himself back in his study - now home to Ororo’s and Logan’s shared office - feeling as if everything had changed.

But so much had changed; Erik had stayed almost ten years ago, and hadn’t left since, yet the room was still mostly the same. Even though the room was always going to matter to both of them, and on odd days Charles stole time for himself here to remember what had happened: a small private celebration of a holiday Erik hardly thought important but that had all the same brought them back together. 

That was all a very large distraction from what had originally caught Charles’ attention: the small script on the wall calendar that pointed out that Hanukkah started the night before Thanksgiving.

How was he meant to put together their annual collection of gifts in four days without Erik knowing?

-

There had only been a mild spike of panic that Charles knew went out to everyone on the school’s grounds at his discovery, but he was able to mask it as well as possible and found a way to get back from the mansion to his new home without much difficulty thanks to a small storm that had descended upon North Salem and a good portion of the Eastern Seabore.

Bugger life that there were still no snow tires designed for wheelchairs, he thought, as he slowly pushed himself across the path that had enough snow to make things difficult. It was not worth mentally asking Erik for some help because he was sure that Erik was in the midst of preparing another quiet dinner for them.

However, with the snow making the time between the school and his home stretch out, Charles had time to think of what to do for Hanukkah. He had found that Erik didn’t need anything more than a few trinkets each year, but he still liked to put the effort into them that showed how much he loved and valued Erik at his side.

Perhaps this year was a good idea to go all out and make one large gesture rather than eight smaller ones.

Just as soon as he thought it, though, he felt Erik tug at the metal in the frame of his wheelchair and put the idea of the gift out of his mind. Erik, in the years since his return, had become far too aware of Charles trying to obfuscate facts with other facts and so it was simply easier to just drop it all together and think of anything else: today it was easy to complain about the snow on the path and the fact that no one had managed to put down sand or that horribly eco-friendly slush to help raise the freezing point of the water.

-

Erik, in spite of being busy finishing off a fine beef roast, found time to help Charles into the house and over the mess of snow on the ground.

“Should we talk to someone about shoveling it more often?” Erik asked as he pulled out the roast and began to let it sit.

“No, no one’s going to bother to think of it; it also doesn’t immediately affect the students, so I doubt Ororo or Logan will see fit to having someone on the grounds crew tend to it.”

“Why couldn’t Ororo just permanently heat the path in the snow?” Erik asked, his voice light and non-accusing - a sound that was still taking Charles time to get used to, even ten years later. 

“That’s far too minor, dear, and you know it. It’d be as if I asked you to always open the cans of pasta sauce.”

“You never come within two feet of any of the food before it’s ready and you know that. Poor example, Professor.” Erik winked before he turned around and began to let his powers go to work as he cut into the cooled roast.

Charles laughed, small and light, and went to wheel himself to the table and waited for Erik to bring over their dinner. He rather liked this quiet side to their relationship - no decisions to be made and no immediate threats.

-

Curled into Erik’s side, Charles finally broached the subject that he had thought about avoiding all day. “What should we do for Hanukkah this year? It’s so early.” He tried to sound casual and unaffected by the date, but he wasn’t sure if he succeeded.

“It’s not that early, honestly. It’s more that Thanksgiving is so late, but we can skip it if you want.”

“Why would I want to skip the holiday that brought us back together?” Charles asked. “I just wonder if we should change what we do this year to make room for Thanksgiving. It’ll be impossible for us to have our private celebration when we’ll be in the mansion all day for Thanksgiving. And once dinner’s over, we’ll be too full to want to do anything else.”

Erik hummed into Charles’ hair, and Charles could feel that Erik’s mind was churning through the information Charles had presented as well as Erik’s own ideas. “We could do something different this year,” he added before he flicked one hand and let the room fill with darkness.

Charles settled more fully as Erik shifted closer to Charles’ nearly still form. At least the idea was out in the world for the two of them to ponder.

-

Over a simple cup of coffee and some oatmeal the next morning, Erik announced his decision. “We can do something different for Hanukkah so that it doesn’t conflict with Thanksgiving. But we’ll change the rules. One gift and one gift only, to be given on the last night of Hanukkah.”

Charles nodded and smiled into his coffee cup; he had another week to work out the logistics of everything involved now.

-

As far as they were from the school proper, it was still easy for Charles’ mind to get wrapped up in the excitement the students felt for the larger school-wide dinner. It had been easier to forget letting the students go home - those that had welcoming families - for such a short holiday and instead it was now a feast for everyone as they all celebrated the season and gave thanks for their lives and well-being.

It was especially poignant for students who had faced so many difficulties before arriving here. It made his decision all that much more powerful, to his mind, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to be a smug man for the week as he waited for Erik to cotton on to what was happening.

-

In the quiet of their home, Erik lit a hanukkiah that he had made as a gift when Charles had officially retired as Headmaster and Charles smiled as he looked at the life they had made. Erik’s creations lined much of the flat surfaces and Charles watched as Erik sang the prayers for the day quietly - not loud enough to fill the house with Erik’s gorgeous voice - but enough that Charles understood the importance of the day without being Jewish himself.

The prayers over, Erik turned to look at Charles and all Charles could do was smile back - bright and happy - before he curled a finger to tell Erik that he had other plans.

_Kiss me?_ he asked and Erik slowly lifted the wheelchair up to kiss Charles.

“What have you got planned?” Erik asked when he pulled back and had returned Charles’ chair to the floor. Erik looked around the room suspiciously, as if a gift was meant to materialize out of thin air.

“You’ll just have to wait and see. Your rules, you remember.” Charles knew he had a cheeky smile on his face - with good reason now - and so he let himself relish in the secret he had to keep for the next eight nights.

Erik huffed, but said nothing else on the subject. Charles knew that he had moods when he was particularly insufferable - and right now was the perfect example - and Erik knew just as well to let Charles have the moment and said nothing else.

-

Thanksgiving dinner was as loud and rowdy as one could be with over fifty students and another thirty members of staff and their families. 

Charles almost hated that he had foisted the holiday on Ororo and Logan as it was, but he changed his mind as soon as he saw Kitty Pryde phase through the walls to help Logan carve the turkey (though it was more accurate that Kitty was attempting to keep Lockhead from eating all their dinner if Kitty’s mind was any indication).

He and Erik had seats at the head of the long formal dining room table, though it was a bit of a squeeze to fit them together. Charles wanted to offer a toast, but Erik reached over to grip one hand and mentally said, _Leave it and it’s just enjoy the dinner. You’re retired._

With a small nod, Charles squeezed back and waited as Logan went off on a strange speech about the meaning of together. It was particularly amusing to hear Logan give this one - the man who had once told Charles and Erik to ‘fuck off’ on first meeting - and Charles had to stifle his laugh from ruining the moment.

_Keep down_ , Erik said before he gave a pointed glare at Charles’ growing smirk.

_I’m trying, but it’s so ridiculous that Logan’s giving this._

_It’s no longer your place to say, so forget it and let’s enjoy the meal I didn’t have to make._ Erik’s mental voice also carried a warmth at spending time like this - surrounded by students and staff that adored Charles - and none of the grand largess of his old speeches and platitudes.

Charles couldn’t argue with Erik’s logic there, and so he resolved himself not to laugh anymore at Logan’s speech and happily tucked into the food when possible. Erik’s mind buzzed with contentment and a happiness that still struck Charles as foreign, and Charles tried to wrap Erik’s mind in as much love as Charles could stand to keep them both smiling through the dinner.

-

Charles had never truly understood Erik’s need for space until he was planning this Hanukkah gift. Thankfully, Erik - poor soul - had been roped into Black Friday sales with the children and it left Charles in the house with no distractions and plenty of work to do.

His mental list of places that needed to be called was about the same size as many of his call sheets as Headmaster, only this time he was no longer calling parents for recruiting or disciple, but calling into the one jeweler that Erik thought was passable, to the county clerk’s office, to a caterer, to a local photographer, to the florists for something to spice up the Great Hall, and finally to the local shul for a conversation with a rabbi.

-

Even though his nerves were alight with energy as the last night arrived, Erik had been on edge with the smugness of Charles’ own attitude. Charles was more than half convinced that Erik would say yes, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t without moments of doubt.

Erik lit all the candles and said a prayer for the last time for the year, and Charles marveled at they had done in ten years or so that they had been together again. It was not as if it had always been easy, but nothing with Erik ever was.

It was that idea that made Charles smile softly. Just as the smile set in, Erik turned around and said, “So now I’ll know why you’ve been so smug and secretive all week.”

“You will, but I think you should go first,” Charles said, as he tried to remember where he had put the box with Erik’s ring.

“Of course that’s how you want to be today,” was all Erik said before he floated over a velvet pouch - the same as had been used that first year - and placed it carefully in Charles’ hand. Pulling the drawstrings back, Charles opened the bag and found a cylindrical tin tube.

“Tin?” Charles asked, because he was a bit confused.

“It’s for tenth anniversaries, and I know that ours hasn’t been a marriage. I wanted to celebrate as if it were. It has water from the beach in Miami where we first met.”

“Oh,” was all Charles could reply because he was shocked at the simplicity - and the depth - of Erik’s gift. “I think I’ll make sure we do something with tin again,” he said as he finally found the box next to the books that Charles had insisted come with him.

Erik’s eyes went to it - wood carved into elegant patterns - before Charles saw that Erik felt something different. “Float it over,” Charles added.

Erik did as he was told and examined the box for a moment before he carefully opened its seam. Wide eyes met Charles’ own for a moment before Erik lifted the ring out from the case.

“What is this?” he asked, looking at the ring with mixed emotions coming off him in waves.

“Marry me?” Charles said.

Erik made no sound, but kept his eyes on the simple set of rings - one platinum and the other titanium - that interlocked together. 

_Is that a yes?_ Charles mentally asked, because he was now very nervous that Erik would think this idea completely insane. Erik only nodded, briefly, before he lowered himself onto this knees and kissed Charles with a passion that reminded Charles of their youth. _I take it that’s a yes, and that’s good, because the ceremony’s tomorrow afternoon in the Great Hall._

Charles felt Erik’s slight laugh into the nape of his neck, moving from his lips. For all their ups and downs, it made Charles smile (and Erik too if what Charles felt was accurate) to know that they had come to so far and would now start their lives together - officially - as husbands.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, PJ!
> 
> Many thanks to Luni for the beta, though any and all remaining mistakes are my own.


End file.
